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Prior use of extreme weight-control behaviors in a community sample of women with binge eating disorder or subthreshold binge eating disorder: A descriptive study

  1. Jonathan M. Mond PhD, MPH1,*,
  2. Carol B. Peterson PhD, LP2,
  3. Phillipa J. Hay MD, PhD3

Article first published online: 23 JUN 2009

DOI: 10.1002/eat.20707

Issue

International Journal of Eating Disorders

International Journal of Eating Disorders

Volume 43, Issue 5, pages 440–446, July 2010

Additional Information

How to Cite

Mond, J. M., Peterson, C. B. and Hay, P. J. (2010), Prior use of extreme weight-control behaviors in a community sample of women with binge eating disorder or subthreshold binge eating disorder: A descriptive study. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 43: 440–446. doi: 10.1002/eat.20707

Author Information

  1. 1

    School of Biomedical and Health Sciences, University of Western Sydney, Campbelltown, Australia

  2. 2

    School of Psychiatry, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota

  3. 3

    School of Medicine, University of Western Sydney, Campbelltown, Australia

*School of Biomedical and Health Sciences, University of Western Sydney, Campbelltown Campus, Building 24, Locked Bag 1797, Penrith South DC, New South Wales 1797, Australia

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 1 JUN 2010
  2. Article first published online: 23 JUN 2009
  3. Manuscript Accepted: 18 APR 2009

Funded by

  • National Health and Medical Research Council Sidney Sax Fellowship
  • The Canberra Hospital Private Practice Fund
  • ACT Health and Community Care
  • ACT Mental Health

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Keywords:

  • binge eating disorder;
  • bulimia nervosa;
  • purging disorder;
  • extreme weight-control behaviors

Abstract

Objective and Method

The prior occurrence of regular extreme weight-control behaviors was examined in a community sample of women (n = 27) with binge eating disorder (BED) or subthreshold BED.

Results

Approximately two thirds of participants (65.4%) reported the prior use of either purging at least weekly or nonpurging behaviors three or more times per week, for a period of 3 months or more, whereas 38.5% of participants reported either purging at least twice weekly or nonpurging behaviors five or more times per week. Comparatively few participants (11.1%) had ever met formal diagnostic criteria for BN.

Discussion

Considerable overlap be-tween disorders characterized by binge eating in the absence of extreme weight-control behaviors and those characterized by extreme weight-control behaviors in the absence of binge eating may be apparent when a longitudinal perspective is taken. Caution needs to be exercised in drawing conclusions concerning the extent of this overlap based on any one operational definition of the term “regular extreme weight-control behaviors”. © 2009 by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Eat Disord 2010

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